Section: Niner Insider Blog

Like Akers, Dawson, 38, is a decorated veteran who ranks among the NFL’s all-time leaders in field-goal percentage (12th at 84.0). Unlike Akers, though, he had perhaps the best season of his career in 2012: Dawson ranked second in the league in field-goal percentage (93.5) and made 13 of 13 attempts from 40-plus yards. His lone misses in a 29-of-31 season were a 28-yard attempt that was blocked and a 39-yard attempt in Cleveland’s regular-season finale. …

The restructured contract provides additional salary-cap room for San Francisco, which cut the 2013 salary of wide receiver Mario Manningham by $1.8 million last week. Manningham tore two knee ligaments on Dec. 23 and is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp. …

San Francisco, which received a compensatory pick in the fourth round (No. 131 overall) and two more in the seventh round (Nos. 246 and 252), has a league-high 14 picks. Among those picks are five top-100 selections and seven picks in the first four rounds. …

Given their similar pedigree (small college, undrafted, resembles Blue Collar Guy from central casting), Skuta has been compared to Bears special-teams dynamo Blake Costanzo, who starred with the 49ers in 2011. …

Smith finished his second NFL season on prolonged sack-less drought, which began three weeks after he first appeared on the team’s injury report on Nov. 21 with a shoulder injury. Smith posted 4 ½ sacks in his next three games, but didn’t have another sack in San Francisco’s final six contests, a stretch that included the playoffs. …